Chapter : 25
The Bachelor Noble Quietly Deletes
“Here it is, the Sound Miniature Garden.”
“Oh, so this is it!”
In the hallway of my apartment, I received the Noble Phantasm, the Sound Miniature Garden, from Katarina.
It was a rectangular prism with calm shades of black and brown.
It was large enough to be held with both hands and felt quite heavy.
A music player with a recording function. I was looking forward to trying it out.
“Alright, then—”
“Wait a minute!”
I had obtained the Noble Phantasm I wanted and was about to head back to my room when Katarina called out to stop me.
“…What is it?”
“The request forms I’ve been sending you… have you read them?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Why haven’t you read them?!”
“I don’t have time to read complaint forms.”
“You’re a magical tool craftsman, right? Don’t you have the spirit to respond to customer requests or reflect on them to make something better?”
“If you’re going to say that, you should send a more logically structured request, free from personal feelings. Also, if you want to write requests, I recommend studying magical tools a bit more. Well then.”
I didn’t have time to entertain a complaint any further.
Katarina continued to speak, but I quickly closed the door and locked it, shutting her out.
From the hallway, I could hear her squeaking and complaining.
She shouldn’t be making such a loud noise—it could disturb the neighbors.
I shut out the hallway sounds and returned to the living room.
For now, I placed the Noble Phantasm on the table and carefully examined it.
On the front of the rectangular prism was a large, round speaker. Above it, five round buttons were lined up, each assigned a number.
Presumably, pressing those buttons would allow you to select the recorded music.
Below them were two more buttons labeled “Play” and “Record.”
There were also smaller buttons for functions like “Delete,” “Stop,” and “Fast Forward.”
It seemed to have all the convenient functions of a player from my previous life.
“Huh? This Noble Phantasm is dirty. That woman… claiming she treasures it, and yet this…”
Examining it more closely, I saw a thin layer of dust in the gaps around the buttons and vents.
It was unthinkable to cover a treasured Noble Phantasm with dust.
She could have at least covered it with cloth or placed it in a glass case. Maintenance is crucial for a Noble Phantasm.
Once damaged, it might never be repaired, given that no current technology could recreate it.
We should maintain these treasures daily to prevent that.
“You’ve been treated carelessly, haven’t you? Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll manage you properly.”
I gently spoke to the Sound Miniature Garden, which had likely been treated poorly, and wiped away the dust with a clean cloth.
I wanted to wipe it with water, but some materials degrade with water. For now, dry wiping was enough.
When I asked Katarina about maintenance, she didn’t seem to know much, so I couldn’t get accurate information.
She likely had appraised it in the past but didn’t remember the details. I should probably ask Guan to appraise it once.
After cleaning, I felt the color and luster of the Sound Miniature Garden had improved.
The original texture was already pleasant, and cleaning it highlighted its beauty even more.
“Alright, let’s test its functions.”
Katarina had briefly explained the basics.
You select a recorded track by pressing a numbered button and press play to listen.
She left some tracks already recorded for me to listen to immediately.
If they had been deleted, I wouldn’t be able to hear them right away.
Eventually, I planned to have a musician record my favorite tracks. Katarina’s recordings might not suit my taste, and the device only had five storage slots, so I would want to swap tracks when bored.
I pressed button one and then play. Music began to flow from the Noble Phantasm.
It sounded like a solo violin performance.
The high, elegant tones of the violin filled the living room.
Turning the volume knob on the side made it louder.
“Wow, this is great!”
Music players didn’t exist in this world, so it felt completely novel.
In my previous life, I often listened to music like this while cooking dinner.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
As I enjoyed the music, someone began banging on the door.
Annoying—just as I was relaxing, I was interrupted.
I opened the door to find Katarina, looking even more irritated than I was.
“What is it?”
“The sound is leaking! When using the Sound Miniature Garden, you must use proper soundproofing magical tools!”
“Ah, sorry.”
I immediately apologized and lowered the volume inside the living room.
Right—just my singing alone could be considered noise. When using the Noble Phantasm at full volume, soundproofing tools are essential.
Such tools are only owned by nobles who hold secret meetings, merchants who conduct business, or women, apparently, for complaining with friends—I remembered Rouge telling me that.
I, a mere noble and magical tool craftsman, had none of these, so I couldn’t enjoy it fully.
“…I guess I’ll make one next time.”
Without soundproofing, I had no choice but to play it quietly and use it as a faint background music in the room.
After listening to tracks one through five, I took a deep breath.
As expected of a violinist, almost all the tracks were violin pieces.
I had hoped for more variety, but there was no use complaining to Katarina.
I would record my favorite tracks in the future to complete my personal Noble Phantasm.
Only five storage slots were limiting, but that challenge was part of the fun.
“Now, does this Noble Phantasm have any unusual features?”
Normally, you test the functions and call it a day, but enthusiasts don’t stop there. They want to find hidden functions.
From experience, pressing buttons in various ways can reveal hidden or unexpected features.
Guan had discovered such things before, and I had too.
I tried pressing button one twice, pressing one and two simultaneously, and experimented with every combination.
Then, a mysterious audio played, unlike the normal tracks.
“Congratulations on discovering the sixth storage. I am Selva MacLare. Since you are using this Noble Phantasm, you must be a close friend or lover of Katarina. I sent this Noble Phantasm to her for her birthday. By the time you hear this, I am probably no longer in this world—”
The voice was that of an elderly man, hoarse with age.
The current head of the MacLare family didn’t seem that old, so this was likely a grandfather or great-grandfather. They seemed to be long gone from this world.
Selva’s words clearly showed how much he adored Katarina.
He assumed that anyone listening to this at her home must be a close friend or lover, as she would never give away such a precious Noble Phantasm.
Unfortunately, your precious granddaughter chose work over the Noble Phantasm and gave it to a complete stranger.
Yet, the old man continued, oblivious to that fact.
“Now, I have a favor to ask of you. But keep it secret from Katarina. If she is nearby, she will immediately stop or delete this with a button. If she is not present, please listen and, if possible, fulfill my request.”
Listening sympathetically, I suddenly heard something alarming.
What could this old man want from a total stranger like me?
I knew I probably shouldn’t, but I was curious.
Since Katarina couldn’t hear this, I might as well listen. Whether I obey or not is another matter.
“In fact, besides my wife, I also have a commoner concubine—”
Selva revealed a shocking fact, and I quickly pressed the stop button.
Having a concubine besides one’s wife is the kind of scandal that could rock any noble family.
Even if I were Katarina’s lover, how could he expect me to listen to this?
I had no interest in his requests, which were probably troublesome. If I got involved in some family conflict because of this, it would be a pain.
So, I didn’t listen further and silently pressed the delete butt.
